Automatic refrigerator



March 17, 1931. CUNGMAN 1,796,829

AUTOMATI C REFRIGERATOR Original Filed March 12 192 Patented Mar. 17, 1931 PATENT OFFICE M. CLINGMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS AuroMArIo REFRIGERATOR Application filed March 12, 1928, Serial Noi260,936. Renewed August 12, 1930.

My invention relates in general to automatic refrigerators. It relates more particularly to a refrigerator provided with automatic means for preventing cooling when the B refrigerator box door is open.

As ex lained in m copending application Serial 0. 240,115, led December 15, 1927, when a refrigerator door is left open by accident or design, the cooling mechanism operates at full capacity, thus wasting a very great amount of power. In single installations the expense of this power loss is borne by the individual and he is apt to be somewhat careful in this respect; but in large installa- 1 tions where the compressor, etc., are in the basement and only the expansion chamber etc., are in the apartment, the power loss is a direct expense to the owner of the building. In this case, the tenant is not apt to be at all 2 careful and as a matter of fact it is not unusual for tenants to leave a refrigerator door open designably, and for the purpose of cooling the apartment.

Since in the large installations there is usually no motor or other electrical apparatus in the apartment itself, the checking means for preventing operation of the unit when the door is open is preferably applied to the pipe line in which the refrigerant is carried 80 to the expansion chamber. The means employed for this effect must of course be positive in operation, and be so arranged that it cannot be tampered with or in any other way greated to prevent its having the desired efect.

The principal object of my present invention is to produce a shut-off means of this character. 7

Another object is the'production of a means for automatically interrupting the flow of refrigerant when the refrigerator door is open. 7

Another object is the provision of such a mechanism so designed that it cannot be 4 tampered with to make it ineffective.

Another object is to provide such a mechanism wherein a relatively slight movement of the door will be effective to close the valve.

Another object is to provide means for preventing the operation of the cooling mechathrough the cooling chamber of a refrigeranism when the refrigerator door is open, said means to be inaccessible to the ordinary user of the refrigerator.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description as considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. In these drawings,

Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view tor;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the valve, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the valve controlling mechanism shown with the refrigerator door open.

My invention may be applied to any usual form of refrigerator 10, having a cooling chamber 11 accessible through a door 12, hinged at 13 and provided with a latching mechanism 14. The type of refrigerator herein shown is that wherein the compressor etc., is provided at a central location and a single cooling unit 16 supplied with refrigerant by a pipe 17 adapted to be connected into a main pipe line. A suitable return pipe is of course provided but does not appear in the drawings since it does not constitute a. necessary part of the present invention.

I may provide many kinds of valves for at) controlling the flow of refrigerant, but I show a simple diaphragm controlled conical valve A which is adapted to be operated in a manner subsequently to be described, controlling the flow of refrigerant to the line 17. A pipe 18 connected into amain pipe line supplies refrigerant to the valve.

The valve comprises a casing 19 with an auxiliary casing 21 which is adapted to be secured to the main casing 19 by screws 22 extending through annular flanges in the two sections of the casing, a diaphragm 23 extending into and being secured between the annular flanges so as to result in a chamber 24% in which refrigerant will normally be containedand a chamber 26 in which there will be no refrigerant. The chamber 21 is provided with a valve seat 27 which a frustro conical valve 28 is adapted to close, this valve having integral therewith, a valve stem 29.

Threaded apertures for receiving the pipe 18 and 17 are provided on opposite sides of the valve seat so that closing of the valve has the effect of preventing fiow of refrigerant from one pipe to the other, .while when the valve is open the refrigerant can flow freely.

The valve is controlled by an operatlng rod 31 which extends through a boss 32 in the casing and is connected to the valve stem 29 by having the threaded end of the valve stem,

extending through the diaphragm into a threaded end aperture in the rod 31. Nuts 33 and 34 on the valve stem and control rod respectively, assist in obtaining a tight joint where the connection between the two memhers is made through the diaphragm. Suitable backing of course is incorporated to facilitate obtainin a tight joint.

The valve and operating rod are contained between the two walls of the refrigerator box. For purposes of description, the inner wall adjacent the operating rod is indicated by the referencecharacter 36. A bracket 37 is secured on the inside of this wall and the rod 31 extends therethrough so that it is guided to have a straight longitudinal movement by the bracket 37 and the boss 32 in .the valve casing. Between these two guides and somewhat close to the bracket 37, a collar 38 is provided and a compression spring 39 between the collar and bracket has a tendency at all times to move the rod so as to engage the cone valve 28 against its seat. The free end of the rod 31 is provided with an upturned projection 41 which is adapted to be engaged by means carried by the door to hold the rod against the tension of the spring when the door is closed.

I show one means in the drawings for accomplishing this purpose in a way which is simple and connot be tampered with by the ordinary user of the refrigerator. The door has rigidly secured thereto, a plate 42 integral with an arcuate plunger 43, the center of curvature of which is the hinge 13. This plunger is adapted to reciprocate in an arcuate sleeve 44 having the same angle of curvature. The arcuate plunger and sleeve are so arranged that the end of the plunger engages the'projection 41 to open the valve when the door is entirely closed, but there is no way in which the valve can be operated when the door is open.

The sleeve has an outside annular flange 46 on its inner end which as shown in Fig. 3 engages against the wall 36 and thus prevents complete withdrawal of the sleeve. The plunger has an annular flange 47 near its end engaging an inner flange 48 in the outer end of the sleeve which prevents the plunger being completely withdrawn from the sleeve. An outer flange 49 seats itself in an annular recess 51 in the partition 36 and this limits the inner movement of the sleeve so that it is impossible to push the sleeve in far enough to engage the projection 41. Accordingly, there vent its being removed by the ordinary user thereof.

In the operation of the device, the valve may be applied either to the incoming or outgoing pipe line and there are certain advantages to be secured by either arrangement. I show it connected into the incoming line which appears to me to be the better arrangement. When the door is closed, the valve 28 is held off its seat by the plunger 43 hearing against the projection 41 so as normally to permit the flow of refrigerant past the valve. Any slight movement of the door, however, to open it, will permit a slight movement of the valve and inasmuch as this type of valve need be opened only a small fraction of an inch, it-follows that it will be quickly closed when the door starts to open. In other words, a movement as great as the thickness of the door will be sufficient to close the valve, so that no matter how faropen the door is, refrigerating action in the cooling unit will be stopped. If a thin Walled door is used, any usual provision may be employed for augmenting a motion of the door so that a greater movement of the valve will result.

There is another advantage from the use of the arrangement shown, in that if the door is not tightly closed the spring 39 will usually force it open far enough to close the valve cooling compartment provided with a door and a cooling unit therein supplied with refrigerating fluid by a pipe line, a valve in the pipe line and means including an arcuate plunger carried by the door for opening the valve when the refrigerator door is closed.

2. In an automatic refrigerator having a cooling compartment provided with a door and a cooling unit therein supplied with refrigerating fluid by a pipe line, a valve in the pipe line, an operating rod for the valve, a compression spring on the rod normally tending to close the valve, and means operated by the door for opening the valve when the door is closed, said spring serving to close the valve Whenever the door is in open position.

3. In an automatic refrigerator having a cooling compartment provided with a door and a cooling unit therein supplied with refrigerating fluid by a pipe line, a valve in the pipe line, a rod for operating the valve, a compression spring associated with the rod, normally tending to move the rod in a direction to close the valve, and an arcuate plunger carried by the door for engaging the rod when the door is in closed position to move the rod against the pressure of said spring to openthe valve.

4. ii an automatic refrigerator having a cooling compartment rovided with a door and a cooling unit t erein supplied with refrigerating fluid by a pipe line, a valve normally tending to remain in closed position, and means for holding the valve open when the door is closed, said means including an arcuate plunger carried by'the door and an arcuate sleeve surrounding the plunger for limiting the movement of the door and preventing tampering with the valve operating means.

5. In an automatic refrigerator having a cooling compartment provided with a door and a cooling unit therein supplied with refrigerating fluid by a pipe line, a valve in the pipe line normally tending to remain in open position and means operated by the movement of the door for opening the valve when the door is closed, said means including an arcuate sleeve with outside flanges at each end for preventing complete inner and outer movement of the sleeve, an arcuate valve seat with a valve connected to one side of the diaphragm, an operatin rod connected to the other side of the dia iragm, a compression spring associated with the rod and normally tending to force the valve against its seat to close the valve, and means carried by the door for moving the rod to open the valve when the door is in closed position.

8. In an automatic refrigerating system comprising a refrigerating plant for circulating a refrigerant for individual refrigerators, each of said individual refrigerators being equipped with a door affording access to the interior thereof, means effective upon opening said door to interrupt circulation of the refrigerant through said individual refrigerator.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 10th day of February, 1928.

MABEL M. CLINGMAN.

plunger movable in the sleeve and adapted to open the valve when the door is substantially completely closed, stop means being provided between theplunger and sleeve to prevent the complete withdrawal of the plunger from the sleeve.

6. 11 an automatic refrigerator having a cooling compartment providedwith a door and a coolin uni t therein supplied with refrigerating uid by a pipe line, a valve in the pipe line, an operating rod connected to the valve, acompression spring associated with the rod and normally tending to close the valve, an arcuate sleeve with outside flanges at each end for preventing complete inner andouter movement of the sleeve, an arcuate plunger removable in the sleeve and adapted to engage the rod with its inner end to open the valve when the door is substantially completely closed, and means assoj ciated with the sleeve and plunger to prevent the complete withdrawal of the plunger from the sleeve when the door is open.

7. In an automatic refrigerator having a cooling compartment provided with a door and a cooling unit therein supplied with refrigerating fluid by a pipe line, a diaphragm valve connected in the pipe line having a 

